Drip irrigation technology is employed throughout the world for use in the agricultural industry. Hoses for performing drip irrigation are typically installed in fields, orchards, vineyards, nurseries, greenhouses, or anywhere in which drip precipitation is desired, both above and below the ground. An example of a plastic drip irrigation hose is T-TAPE TSX, manufactured by T-Systems International, Inc., San Diego, Calif.
Drip irrigation hose can generally be classified into two types: hose having discrete emitters and hose having continuous, integral emitters. An example of a drip irrigation hose having discrete emitters is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,531. An example of a drip irrigation hose having continuous, integral emitters is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,051.
In the use of all types of drip irrigation hoses, it is commonly necessary to splice together a pair of hoses. Several techniques are employed to splice irrigation hoses together. One technique comprises splicing hoses together by using wire ties to secure a piece of rigid tubing inserted inside both hoses. A wire tie is wrapped several times around each hose over the section of the hose that overlaps the rigid tubing and the wire tie is twisted to form a water-tight seal. Problems with this technique are that the rigid tubing causes a substantial deformity in the hoses at the splice and the wire ties may work their way loose over time, thereby destroying the integrity of the water-tight seal.
Another technique is splicing together drip irrigation hoses using a screw-on connector. An internally threaded connector is fit over the outside of each of the irrigation hoses. An externally threaded cylindrical insert is then inserted into both ends of the hoses. The threads on each end of the insert are diametrically oriented. The outer connectors are threaded onto the insert with the irrigation hoses frictionally and engageably squeezed between each of the outer connectors and the insert to form a water-tight seal. A problem with this technique is that a substantial deformity is formed in the hoses at the splice. Moreover, the connectors are bulkier and are harder to handle in the field.
Therefore, there is a need for a technique for splicing together drip irrigation hoses which maintains a permanent water-tight seal and does not result in a substantial deformity at the splice.